Scenes from Shibuya
by Ms Bat
Summary: Being a series of oneshots chronicling the lives of the various characters as they go about the daily business of living in a city...
1. Serendipity

Scenes from Shibuya

Disclaimer: The characters of _Ghost Hunt_ do not belong to me and are the property of their respective creators.

_A/N: This is a series of oneshots (more or less) and timeline wise, majority of the fics should be taking place after_ _The Romancing of Taniyama Mai. Basically (if you've not read it), all you really need to know is that Mai and Naru already are a couple and Lin and Madoka are engaged._

_Those of you who have been waiting for my other updates, please be patient. Multi-chap stuff always is harder to write, but I will get to it as soon as my muse comes back from its holiday. Till then, enjoy!_

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1. Serendipity

Early Sunday morning was not a good time to be in the heart of Shibuya. A blue fog misted over the streets, the still bare trees stretching cold, grey fingers to the cloud-laden sky. A faint pink haze glazed the buildings as a small flock of pigeons took off, startled by a lone motorcycle firing up.

Mai yawned as she mooched round a block to the traffic crossing. The previous case had taken the entire _week_, camped out in the middle of a deserted and damp cemetery (it'd rained four out of the six days they had been there) in distant Hakone and with no time for school or chores. Her house was in a mess, her fridge was empty; somehow when Bou-san had dropped her off the previous night, he and Yasuhara had managed to polish off her diminishing ration of tea and biscuits between the two of them. She'd been so tired she hadn't been able to stop them and now, foodless on a Sunday morning, she'd dragged herself out early to stock up for the coming week. At least, it wasn't crowded – yet. This was a city after all. "Curse you, Naru," she mumbled half-heartedly, sneezing as she breathed in the cool dawn air. He hadn't even said goodbye to her before Lin had driven off from the cemetery grounds.

The supermarket was already bustling and Mai groaned as she fought through the crowd. There seemed to be some kind of sale among the asparagus, where a small group, made up mostly of middle-aged ladies had convened, elbows and hips jutting in each other's way. To Mai, a sale was always good and feeling slightly more cheered up, she too pushed her way through eagerly. She emerged minutes later with a bundle of the vegetables and a triumphant smirk. They had been going at half price. Now, on in search of breakfast... An hour later, laden down with several large plastic bags full of supplies for the week and humming quietly to herself, Mai left the store. As expected, it was much more crowded outside. The roads were already roaring with traffic, pedestrians swarming the pavement and… Mai gawped as the raven-haired young man walked past her, having just exited the same building with a large plastic bag.

"Naru!" she shouted.

Naru turned at the sound of someone calling his name. Through a gap between a particularly fat man and a gaggle of children walking their dog, he spotted a familiar brown head. "…Mai?" he said, somewhat surprised. She was staring at him as though he'd grown another head.

"What?"

Mai could barely believe her eyes. It was Naru alright, right down to the humourless, bland expression he was wearing. "You…" All she could do was sputter, "You aren't you in black!" He looked down at his light blue shirt and indigo knit scarf. "Yes, I am aware of that," he asked in his driest voice. "But..." Mai bit her lip tentatively. "What…what about Gene?"

"I figured it was time to move on," he said quietly.

"_H-hai_," Mai replied uncertainly. Gene always was a touchy subject and Naru's unreadable expression wasn't helping her. They fell in step together, Naru unexpectedly gallant when he relieved her of the heavier of her two bags. "Oh, no, it's alright…" she said hastily. The contents of their bags jostled against each other as she wrestled to get hers back. "What're you doing?" he asked a trifle irritably. "You'll break the eggs."

"Eggs…" Mai echoed faintly. Surely it wasn't a dream? _Naru_ doing the shopping? She looked at the asparagus sticking out of his bag in disbelief. "Those were cheap," Naru said defensively. She had a good look at him then. He definitely looked good in blue; his clothes brought out the colour in his eyes… which were currently scowling at her.

"Don't tell me you believe what Madoka said about me being a robot. I can cook too you know or did you think I was going to ruin my skin on takeout?"

She returned the glare. "Of course not! That'll make me the girlfriend of a robot!"

"Besides," she huffed, shifting her bags to her left hand in order to poke him in the chest. "Robots aren't half as vain as _you_."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said smugly as he pointed her towards a familiar café. "Breakfast, my treat."

She sniffed. "If that's your way of making up to me for last week, it isn't going to work."

"I don't have to. You're _paid_ to do your work."

"Jerk."

Naru smirked. "You wouldn't have me any other way."

She scowled at him. He was striding ahead so confident that she would follow that she was tempted to turn the other way when... her stomach rumbled. Starwberry jam on hot toast, aromatic tea, runny eggs sunny-side up... What was it that her favourite teacher had once said? _You should always pick your battles_. With a sigh, she ran after him, her boots clattering loudly on the hard cement. One day. One day, she'll _definitely_ have the upperhand and when she did, Naru would get his comeuppance. "Wait up, you narcissistic robot!" she yelled.

That was a new thing she was calling him. He would have to remember to tease her back about it later. As they passed the glass front of a shop display, he stopped short. His reflection had _smiled_ at him. A warm hand curled around his elbow. "Come on," Mai said, smiling up at him. "I'll take you up on that treat. We need to celebrate your new wardrobe for one."

His gaze softened. "Perhaps," he said, frowning slightly as he allowed himself to be hauled the rest of the way. As they moved away, he peered anxiously once more at the glass. This time, his reflection winked, holding two thumbs up. His twin grinned, mouthing two silent syllables as he did. _Good luck_.

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_Further A/N: Hope it wasn't OOC, especially considering a non black-clad Naru, but since he's umm... dating Mai, I like to see it as him starting to move on now that his brother's body has been found... I'll switch back if it's weird._


	2. Cut!

Scenes from Shibuya

Disclaimer: The characters of _Ghost Hunt_ do not belong to me and are the property of their respective creators.

_Thanks to everybody who reviewed. Glad you enjoyed it and that Naru in non-black attire sits well with you all. _

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2. Cut!

She surveyed the building solemnly, her large dark eyes peering first right, the left. No, the building, dilapidated as it was, was merely a disused structure. "Hara-san, do you sense anything?" her co-host whispered conspiratorially. The camera tracked round, the director, a portly man with an absurd cap mouthing his instructions silently. She cast a demure look at the lens directed at her. "No, unfortunately I don't, Matsushita-san" she murmured. The co-host, a newcomer, a flashy young man dressed in sombre black looked disheartened for a second and then perked up. "Ah, perhaps we should try an upper floor. The lady caller who made the report mentioned that a man committed suicide by hanging himself to the rafters on the highest floor." Motioning for the camera to follow, he tramped upstairs, his shiny loafers creaking on the warped floorboards.

The camera panned across the rafters, taking in the peeling wooden roof, the mouldy carpet on the ground lit by small pools of light, the speckles of dust floating lazily to settle on it. It was almost peaceful, that is, if one ignored the obscene graffiti scribbled on all four walls. If a death had really occurred here, the man had already moved on.

"… he was a salaryman. Filled with grief after his wife took off with another man, he took his life in this abandoned building. They say that when they cut him down from the beam, his face had such a terrible grin on it that his wife, sorry, ex-wife, fainted at the sight…"

She coughed politely. "There are no spirits here. I believe it is common for bodies to seize up in a condition known as rigor mortis. Sometimes, the facial muscles stiffen in a way that gives the visage of a grin or leer," she informed him with a gentle smile. "You're very fortunate not to have the experience of witnessing dead bodies yet," she added. Matsushita's mega-watt smile shrank just a fraction. "Indeed. Has Hara-san seen a lot of dead bodies then?"

She tipped her head gravely. "You could consider it a job hazard."

"I see… It _is_ a slight disappointment to know that there are no spirits here in this corner of Harajuku but that means we can sleep safe tonight eh?"

"Cut!"

The two of them instantly relaxed. Matsushita mopped his brow. "What a dump!" he moaned, sinking down onto a foldable chair that had been hastily dispatched as he sat down, fanning himself with the script. "Are you sure it isn't haunted? Suppose some little pale-skinned creature is hiding behind the sofa over there?" he enquired archly. "It's not like you can see through furniture can you?" He sniggered as if he'd said something incredibly funny. Masako ignored him. If some people considered her obnoxious, they ought to meet her co-hosts. Not that she blamed them or anything but it was terribly boring working with grown men that operated more on bravado than good sense. The director signalled her over. "Good, good Masako-chan. We'll just shoot the last bit and then we can leave." He squinted at her. "Oi! Someone get here and give Hara-san a touch-up! We'll be starting in five!"

As the make-up artist approached, muttering sourly under her breath, there was a muffled thump and creak. Everybody turned in the direction of the sound. It was coming from behind the sofa. Then, a small ball, of the sort young children played with bounced out from behind it and an eerie cackle echoed round the room and. "Stay calm," Masako warned sharply when Matsushita tried to get up. His face was ashen. "What the heck? You said there wasn't anything here!"

A shadow loomed slowly from behind the torn back of the sofa. With terrified screams, Matsushita and half the team bolted. "It's not a ghost," she repeated firmly as Matsushita cowered behind the camera man and the director. Leaning over the edge of the peeling furniture she glowered calmly at the two elementary schoolers huddled behind it, giggling silently.

"Excuse me. Shouldn't you two be at home?"

To her surprise, their faces paled and they ran out screaming. "Ahhhhh! Ghost!"

Honestly! What was it with this people? And she was considered to be a well-looking girl too. Only children and Mai would consider her appearance to be supernatural than normal. She was taking a step back when a rat crawled out from under the sofa. The two boys peered round the door nervously and she pointed at the scrawny creature. "There's your ghost," she said austerely.

Stepping out into the late evening, Masako waved as the rest of the crew zoomed off in the tv station's van. Her own chauffeur was late and she looked at her watch impatiently as she waited by the curb. It was unbecoming, to say the least, and she decided to cross the lane over to where Yoyogi Park was. At least she could rest her feet at one of the benches. Dressed in a blouse and skirt, she could people watch inconspicuously as she waited. People would have noticed her in her kimono but now she knew she was a mere face on the street. Anonymity was a relief after facing the camera for an entire day.

As she observed the smiling couples venturing forth arm in arm, she felt a slight pang. She considered taking a detour to SPR first but then she might walk in to find _them_ together. Naru would ignore her and worse still, Mai would scold him for his rudeness, be extra nice to her and they would end up squabbling. If only that girl knew what sort of effect she had on the rest of the team. Even Naru had been susceptible. Like a sunbeam on ice or something. Was it any surprise that she, Masako would be on the losing side of their friendly rivalry? A small girl pointed at her.

"Hey, mama! It's Hara Masako! Isn't she cool?"

Breaking from her reverie, Masako hastily snapped on her professional smile. Several heads turned at this.

"Hey, isn't it that tv medium? My, she looks even cuter than she does on screen…" a boy said, grinning at her as his friend nudged him. She smiled back, acknowledging the praise as the boy turned tomato-red.

A young couple came over. "Can we get an autograph?" the girl asked eagerly.

"Of course," she said, beaming genuinely as a small group rapidly formed around her bench.

"Can you really see ghosts? What're they like?" The boy from behind had sidled up close. Did she have time for a drink? Did she visit Harajuku often? Would she like him to show her around? As she chatted with all of them patiently, she figured what the heck (as Matsushita would say). There were always some things that you won at. Like now.

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_A/N: I know Masako isn't really anybody's favourite character but I fancied writing non Mai and Naru stuff. It didn't turn out so well but it was an interesting experience. Will get back to the latter soon though. =)_


	3. Engaged

Scenes from Shibuya

Disclaimer: The characters of _Ghost Hunt_ do not belong to me and are the property of their respective creators.

_Thanks everyone who reviewed! A small reminder, this series of one-shots isn't going to focus on MaixNaru every chapter, even if I put them as the main characters, it just means they appear more frequently. _

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3. Engaged

Sometimes, Lin wondered if the God of Marriages had made a mistake. The pile of floral scented invitations in front of him swam giddily before his very eyes and he pinched his brow, shaking his head curtly to clear his aching mind. Dear Mori Mitsubishi... He groaned as soon as he had written that. The heavens forbid; what had possessed him to write _that_? It was supposed to be Mori Mitsu_ya_, he noted on consulting the guest list. Sighing, he crumpled the ruined card and tossed it into the wastepaper bin.

The phone rang.

"It's me," Naru's curt voice said. Lin blinked. "Why are you calling me? You're in the next room. Surely you can just walk over?"

There was a crackle of static before Naru answered, "Did you realise that your door is stuck from the inside?"

Turning round on his chair the tall Chinese man was genuinely surprised to see that a small mountain of crumpled gilt-edged cream coloured paper was wedged in front of several towers of tapes. These had been moved aside in order to make room for several new office chairs, a second desk and one large carton ominously marked 'fragile'. On top of his wedding and the New Year's to deal with, SPR was undergoing a major reorganization. Madoka would need her own office soon; she was still head of the field lab and Naru being what he was, was not about to vacate _his_.

"I imagine that silence means no," Naru interrupted unhelpfully. "Pass me the tapes on Rokuryou High School. There's something I want to check."

Lin reluctantly abandoned the stack of cards as he searched around the shelves for the tapes. Suppose the door was really jammed? As Lin entertained briefly the idea of deliberately locking himself in away from the havoc presently invading his life, the door opened a crack before coming up short in front of the desk. The mini bonsai which Luella had sent him (goodness knows why) wobbled and he closed his eyes, feeling rather inundated. What ever had happened to his orderly existence?

"Koujo? Hey, are you in there?" a soft voice enquired. Rising, he banged his head painfully on a jutting edge of his own desk. His _shiki_ giggled from a shadowy recess of the cramped office. "_Yes_," he said, wincing and glaring around at them. "Don't tell me you've more things to put here."

Madoka peered curiously through the crack in the doorway at him. "No, I think this is about it," she said. "I've a good mind to go tell Naru to _share_. There's plenty of space in his oversized excuse of an office!" Bracing herself against the door, she pushed hard. The desk slid forward a few inches as she squeezed her way in.

"There is hardly any space in here!" she cried. His _shiki_ whispered their agreement as one of them hurriedly yanked its trailing tail out of the way of Madoka's pumps. She tipped her head to look at him quizzically. "Something wrong?" she asked as she looked about, a hand on her hip. Perceptive as always. That was one of the things he liked about her. Madoka was as scientifically minded as her teenage protégé but her field experience had led her to intuitively pick up supernatural phenomena almost as well as any onmyouji worth their salt. "You nearly trod on my _shiki_'s tail," he explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologised and then blinked. "They aren't here anymore, are they?"

"I, er, sent them away," he murmured as she pressed her mouth to his. He smiled, relaxing a little into her arms as she threaded her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer. Maybe the God of Marriage hadn't made a mistake after all. He manoeuvred her over to sit at his table, their legs bumping over various items on the floor along the way. "How do you think your family will take to me?" she asked anxiously. He squeezed her shoulder.

"It's not like they haven't met you before." Madoka bit her lip.

"It was as a colleague."

"They liked you well enough then," he said, his pale features colouring lightly at the memory of his father solemnly admonishing him.

_"You're not getting any younger," the elder Lin said as he snipped delicately at his prized bonsai, a plant which Lin had silently dubbed 'the pet'._

_"No, if I did, that would be going against the precepts laid down by the I Ching," he answered, straight-faced. His father peered steadily at him over his half-moon spectacles. _

_"I don't recall having an idiot for a son," he retorted. "Not all Japanese are bad." _

_Snip. Snip. Bits more of the bonsai fell into the tray. He heard laughter from the kitchen where his aunt was trying to teach Madoka how to braise shitake mushrooms, a dish favoured by both himself and his father. _

_"Live and let live." His father never smiled, but now his eyes twinkled at him. "Isn't that what the Professor's son taught you?"_

"And even if they don't, they'll live," he said matter-of-factly. Her lips twisted playfully. "Which is more than anyone can say about what _you_ said about me when we first met." Lin had the grace to look a little ashamed. "That was a long time ago," he answered sheepishly. Madoka laughed and tapped her cheek. "I'll consider forgiving you after you kiss me," she said as he pulled her possessively to him.

"I'll be glad to get away this weekend," she sighed, leaning up to bury her nose in the crook in his neck, her hands curled loosely around his waist. "Have you told Naru yet?"

Lin slapped his forehead. "I was sure I forgot something."

"Knowing Noll, he will have anticipated it," she said comfortably, as she examined one of his mauled invitation cards. "This reminds me, I came to tell you that Mai rushed past me after taking a big bite of that New Year's glutinous cake your parents sent you."

He chuckled.

"If you were here earlier, you would have heard Naru telephoning me from his office asking for some tapes."

She rolled her eyes. "I doubt he'll want them now…"

Naru in fact, was trying not to laugh as Mai rushed to the kitchen, gagging slightly. He looked down at the souvenir list Mai had left half-drawn up. Portuguese egg tarts from Macau, walnut cookies, and egg rolls. Smirking slightly at the list of food, he added to Mai's excited scrawl, a neat request for top grade Pu-er tea when Mai returned, looking slightly pale.

"That's not any kind of mochi I've ever eaten!" she said accusatorily. "Are you sure Lin said it was for me?"

Carefully schooling his face into neutrality, he said coolly, "I told you not to take such a big bite didn't I?"

She pouted. "You could have stopped me."

"Not likely, since you ate it so quickly."

Mai sniffed disapprovingly before prodding the rest of the uneaten snack with a toothpick. It was a sort of shiny, sticky brown, still slightly crisp around the square edge. Auspicious festive food or no, she wondered why anyone would eat this.

"Just finish your piece. Its name is supposed to be a homonym for improving yourself with the coming year."

"I don't see you eating your share."

"I don't need perfecting," he said smugly. More like he didn't like the jaw-achingly sweet confectionary any more than she did. She looked at it unhappily. Shame though, to waste it after she'd pressed Lin for information on New Year customs in his birthplace.

As Mai deliberated over the snack, Naru frowned. Lin was taking forever with the tapes. His assistant hadn't mentioned returning to Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year weekend. He suspected the man had forgotten in the deluge of drawing up wedding plans and reshuffling SPR. Anybody would be drained, especially if their fiancée happened to be as pushy as Madoka was. He got up grudgingly, taking the scrap of paper along with him. Might as well pass it to him… he stopped at the gap in Lin's door. Considered for a second. Well. They were getting married after all. No need to play gooseberry. Smirking slightly, he fetched a bit of tape from Mai's desk and taped the note to the door and walked away.

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_A/N: In case anyone's wondering, the glutinous rice cake which Mai tried is called "nian gao" and is usually consumed as part of the festive corpus of food during Chinese New Year. _

Happy Chinese New Year to those of you who celebrate it! =)


	4. Nuisance

Scenes from Shibuya

Disclaimer: The characters of _Ghost Hunt_ do not belong to me and are the property of their respective creators.

_Thank you very much for your reviews! And I can safely say there'll be more MaixNaru for the next chapter too. =)_

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4. Nuisance

My name is Taniyama Mai and I've just had a delicious early morning breakfast with my boss, who also happens to be my boyfriend. If you're thinking he is some forty-year old port-bellied _hentai_, you're quite mistaken. Naru is only nineteen and he doesn't have a spare tyre round his middle. He is also selfish, narcissistic, arrogant, abrasive, nags a lot and extremely intelligent which explains his ego (though that doesn't actually make it right behaviour). Most people are baffled by Naru's seriousness. He _never_ smiles at them you see, and it doesn't help that he's good-looking to boot. Women try to flirt with him all the time until they realise how crusty he gets and men well… so far no one has tried to beat him up, but I keep holding out for the day he says something tart to a _yakuza_ member by mistake. Even now, as we walked down the street towards Harajuku's famous fashion district, he is getting the usual admiring looks and giggles when he happens to look in their direction. The blue shirt he is wearing makes him look softer somehow, but that doesn't fool me one bit. Naru is Naru whether he is in mourning clothes or regular ones.

On reaching, we see that the street is _packed_ and Naru takes hold of my hand. This is harder than it looks because just as he reaches for me, a cosplay group cuts right into us and I find myself holding the hand of a Shinigami who leers at me in surprise. I drop its – his hand with an embarrassed "excuse me!" and squeeze laterally through the group to where Naru is waiting with a look of mingled exasperation and surrounded by our combined grocery. The domesticity is somehow endearing and I chuckle. Catching sight of me, he hooks his arm under mine and wraps his long fingers firmly over my wrist before arching an eyebrow quizzically. "What's so funny?" he asks coolly and I smile secretively.

"No reason." I pull him forward. "Come on. We might as well make use of our morning properly."

"You seem extremely excited by the prospect of squeezing through this crowd."

Aww. Naru really doesn't fancy shopping.

"But it's fun." I give him my most winning smile.

"And I'll even treat you to _taiyaki_."

"You mean _you_ want the treat," he says. "Besides, I'm the way who signs your pay cheque. Anything you treat me with is with my money."

"Meanie," I pout before hitting on another idea. Standing on tiptoe, I throw caution to the wind and kiss him lightly on his cheek. "There, you can't complain now," I say, slightly embarrassed when passersby look. But even if it has been strange, it's worth the expression on Naru's face. He soon regains his composure though.

"That's it?" he asks with a smirk.

"It's not like I'm asking you to walk through fire," I mutter, feeling my face heat up under his steady gaze. You might ask why someone as gifted as Naru would like a more or less normal person like me but when I asked him about it once, he gave me one of his really rare genuine smiles. I hadn't probed again since then but seeing as he doesn't go into why _I_ like his lousy personality, I suppose I shouldn't enquire so much. Call it fate or coincidence; I'm grateful for whatever force it is that put me down SPR's way.

"Mai," a voice interrupts. Wheeling round, I see that the speaker is a petite girl, another of SPR's regular irregulars. Talk about coincidences. I nod stiffly at her and she returns my greeting with an appraising look. Hara Masako. Love rival, television celebrity and acknowledged by Naru as one of Japan's finest mediums. That sort of status and recognition could really go to a girl's head.

"It's a lovely morning isn't it?" she said sweetly as she manages somehow to squeeze between me and Naru. I give her an irritated look which she ignores. "I hadn't expected you to be back from Hakone so soon," she adds with a charming smile as she latches onto Naru's arm. I shoot Naru an accusatory glare over the top of her head and he shrugs as if to say _I didn't ask for this_. "Do you _mind_?" I cough loudly. As if she didn't know when we'd be back; I was the one who had told her using Madoka's phone!

Masako half turns with her nose in the air. "Not now, Mai," she says airily. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of a conversation with Shibuya-san?"

_What_? "A conversation involves _two_ people!" I growl under my breath.

Masako lifts a russet sleeve delicately to her nose. "I would say it depends more on the _quality_ of the conversation," she retorts.

Of all the nerve! I am about to reply angrily when somebody knocks into me.

"_Bou-san_?!" In the midst of all the confusion, I spot Naru close his eyes with a long-suffering air. I can understand how he feels. So much for fate and coincidence; our leisurely morning is going up in smoke.

"Mai-chan? Why're you up so early?" Bou-san, our resident monk picks himself off the tar and twitches at having just spotted Naru and Masako. "Oh, hello you two. Didn't see you there for a minute..." He blinks dazedly for a moment and then does a double take.

"Why aren't you in black?"

Naru looks annoyed to be asked that question yet again but Bou-san doesn't seem to be attending, his eyes darting shiftily.

"I suppose you decided to come down to Harajuku on a whim as well?" Naru asks coldly in return. I tap Bou-san on the shoulder.

"Are you alright? You look kind of pale."

Actually, he looks rather nervous but if I point that out it'll only make him worse.

"You won't _believe_ who I met just now."

I roll my eyes. _Try me_.

_"_Did you all happen to see Ayako?" Bou-san adds, answering his own question.

I shook my head. "Not for two days. Why?"

"Pray you don't," he replies ominously. There is a hunted look to his eyes. "Are you sure you haven't seen her _recently_, like say, ten minutes ago?"

We have to reassure him again that we've not seen her before he would relax. Once he is, he grins and wraps an arm around my shoulder. "So. How about we all go and get something to eat? I believe I saw _taiyaki_ being sold round the corner."

Ten minutes, a piping hot _taiyaki_ in hand, I grin up at Naru. "See, didn't I say it'll be fun?"

"Fun?" His expression is disbelieving. "I'll say it was more of a nuisance."


	5. Entendre

Scenes from Shibuya

Disclaimer: The characters of _Ghost Hunt_ do not belong to me and are the property of their respective creators.

_Thank you very much for your reviews! They were most inspiring!_

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5. Entendre

Sleep is a many splendored thing. There is a beauty to lying supine on a down-soft mattress, enveloped in clean white sheets and a liberating of the mind and body from the strictures of daily living. And the best part comes last. Waking up, the slow flickering of eyelids, the adjustment to conscious sensations of colour and sound and warmth, the scent of feminine skin…

Wait. _Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon_ –

He had somehow fallen asleep with the book over his head. Something warm beside him wriggled under the sheets and then muttered fretfully. Peeling back a corner of the sheet, he stared down at her sun-kissed hair, the tips bronze-highlighted in the ray of light poking in through her curtains. How had he gotten into her bed? They were both mercifully still more or less dressed, though he'd discarded his jacket and both of his socks were lying in an untidy mound in the middle of the floor. His mouth was dry. As he moved, his foot connected with cool glass, which rolled with a soft clink to the floor. He picked it up blearily. Wine. They'd emptied it out between the two of them, along with whatever sobriety they had the night before. And the legal drinking age in Japan was twenty-one. His lips cracked painfully when he quirked a smile.

_Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,__  
Who is already sick and pale with grief…_

_Her eyes narrowed at that. "What does it mean?"_

_"It means he loves her."_

_"Don't be stupid. I know how to say 'love' in English."_

_"It's metaphorical."_

_Her nose wrinkles. "Really."_

_"Do you want me to read it or not?"_

_"Okay, okay. I was just checking," she huffed. _

_"I'll translate if it'll give you a better appreciation of how difficult it is to say all these lines with a straight face."_

_Mai chuckled before snuggling closer. "Okay, genius. Get this right and I'll consider not calling you an idiot scientist anymore."_

_He pretended to consider for a moment but all she does is smile enticingly. He never could resist an open challenge._

_That thou her maid art far more fair than she:__  
Be not her maid, since she is envious;  
Her vestal livery is but sick and green…_

_"Ahahahaha"_

_"Is it so funny? And I thought you'll appreciate a little poetry since we couldn't make the real play."_

_"Iit reminds me of Masako." He rolled his eyes. "Jealousy is a green eyed monster."_

_"I don't remember that line."_

_"I'm surprised you remember anything at all. In any case, it's from another play."_

_"Geez. I'm a good deal smarter than I look alright?"  
_

_And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. _

_Mai nodded wisely. "Yup." __He looked at the next two lines and then stopped. She nudged him, grinning irritatingly. "I want to hear you say that," she said, pointing at the particular word. He sighed.  
_

_It is my lady, O, it is my love.  
O, that she knew she were._

_He said it very quickly and unrhythmically and in English. Mai frowns before draining her wine. "He were," she corrects, confirming his suspicions that she'd been secretly improving her dismal grasp of the language._

_"These are Romeo's lines," he said w__hen she leaned her head on him drunkenly. _

_"I always knew I was in love with you," she said sleepily. "Even when – even when you didn't…"_

_He stroked her hair affectionately.__  
_

_She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that?  
Her eye discourses… _

_Equally drunk, he leaned down, burying his nose in her honey scented hair, "and I will answer it..."_

He flipped idly through the rest of the book, reading a passage here and another there as he reflected that it was just as well his legal guardian was out of the country at the moment. That man, he could swear, possessed an inner radar for misappropriate behaviour. Slow minutes passed, as he sat companionably next to her. A bird landed on the rain-spotted window ledge, fluttering away as soon as her landlady's cat pounced after it with a heavy thump. Giving up, it peered incuriously at him before squeezing back onto the fire escape.

Mai yawned and rolled over. "Ugh," she groaned and then blinked at him.

"About time you're up," he stated. She continued to stare at him and then suddenly, with a shriek, bolted out of the bed.

"We didn't do anything."

It was meant to be reassuring but she only turned as red as the wine they'd consumed.

"Who-who said I did anything?" she mumbled suspiciously at his smirk before wincing. "I think I've a hangover."

"I'll get you a glass of water," he offered. She sat back down on her side of the narrow bed despondently. "How come _you_ don't have one?"

"It's one of my talents."

"No it isn't," she griped before flopping over. It took him awhile to navigate her kitchenette and when he came back in later, he found her lying on her stomach. Mai was watching the light play on her fingers as she swung her legs casually, unconsciously, not having noticed his return. He smiled, knowing she wouldn't catch him at it. _Arise fair sun_.

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_A/N: The other play referenced in this chapter is Othello. I doubt I need to say whom it's by. heh heh. ^^ Hope you enjoyed it and it wasn't too OOC._


	6. Slanderous

Scenes from Shibuya

Disclaimer: The characters of _Ghost Hunt_ do not belong to me and are the property of their respective creators.

_Thank you very much for your reviews! Now we're back on to some of the other characters._

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6. Slanderous

Takigawa Houshou did not believe in fortune telling. To put it more exactly, he suspected half of the touts on the streets claiming to have the third eye, inner vision etc to be fraudulent and the other half comprising of madmen and _perhaps_, (Houshou was a generous man) conceding to the statistical possibility of one or two authentic mediums.

This however, did not mean the old woman on the streets loitering outside the sweeping entrance to the Meiji Shrine was a genuine seer even if she had a dirty stack of tarot cards with her. Ignoring her, Houshou had barely stepped under the large red torii when she blocked his way. "You've tough times ahead young man," she announced in a loud, carrying voice that seemed at odds with her wizened appearance.

"No I don't," he muttered.

"Pick a card. I'm not usually wrong," she said.

"I'm broke. Do find someone else to con."

Her eyes glittered. "No, no, it's absolutely free. I don't charge those who are due for misfortune," she said.

"That makes me feel better already," he grumbled as he picked a card from near the top of the deck.

"Oho! See I was right! It's the Nine of Wands. Gambatte, young man. You'll need all your wits about you," she cackled as she flipped over the second card. "_And_ there's a woman involved. My, my. It's really not going to be your day is it?"

Woman? What woman? He shrugged. The old woman patted him kindly. "Well, thanks for the warning," he said dubiously.

"Good luck," she said. "Not that me saying it would help anything…"

The teahouse was jam-packed. Was it his imagination or was _every_ table booked? So much for a quiet breakfast. He'd been looking forward to visiting this place for a week now, a craving that had only been exacerbated by the cold and wet of camping out in an alien cemetery. All the same, here he was now and he flashed a grin at the pretty waitress in the kimono as she showed him to a corner seat by the verandah. The waitress giggled bashfully. "Let me know when you're ready to order, sir."

He held up a hand. "Ah, wait please. I already know what I want. Can you get me a coffee and a _tamagoyaki_ breakfast?"

She bowed. "Hai. Right away," she smiled. "Please help yourself to the green tea in the meanwhile."

Leaning into his plush seat, Houshou grinned after her. Ah, civilization. It was good to be back in Tokyo where there was good food served up on a platter, gigs to attend and women to flirt with... speaking of which, his eyes followed the new lady who had just walked in.

Her soft brown eyes moved over the tables uncertainly. "Oh dear… I should have checked first…" he heard her murmur as she rummaged in her bag, her dark hair falling in loose curls over her heart-shaped face. Now, Houshou was not the sort to pick up ladies in random teahouses, but he felt himself softening a little at the sight of her prettily creased brow, her slightly lost expression.

"Excuse me, would you like to have a seat here first?"

Getting up, he offered her a smooth bow. The woman looked up in surprise. "There's space for two," he explained as he leaned roguishly by the chair and beamed. The woman blushed as she slid into the chair opposite his.

"Oh, er, thank you. I'm sorry, it's just that I hadn't expected it to be so crowded," she murmured shyly. "My _sempai_ gave me such vague directions I wasn't even sure I was in the right place."

"Oh, were you with someone?" he asked quickly. It would be bad if his new acquaintance's senior turned out to be some muscle-bound possessive type. The woman shook her head, her black curls bouncing lightly. "Oh, not at the moment. _Sempai_ said she's running late, which is why I came in first."

Ah, it was a _she._ He relaxed slightly.

"I see. Is it your first time h…?"

The woman blushed again. "Well, the others didn't turn out so well… and the last was pretty noisy, if you get what I mean…"

Houshou nodded sagely. "Yeah, no one appreciates old school teahouses anymore," he said feelingly. His table mate blinked rapidly. "Oh no, I mean…" she started to say when another woman barreled down onto their table.

"_You_!" she demanded in a tone that suggested that he had better have a good reason for his present state of being. "What are you doing here with Miwako?"

"Ayako?" Miwako smiled in surprised delight. "I didn't know you knew each other. I had the impression you didn't know Takashi."

"He isn't Takashi,' she said icily. "Takashi, your _date_ is waiting over there." They all turned to look where she was pointing at a young man nervously adjusting his sweater.

"But… there must be some mistake. This gentleman kindly offered me a seat and I…" Miwako trailed off as she fumbled in her bag again, this time fetching out a pair of spectacles. As she did so, Houshou stared at Ayako's frigid demeanour with the sinking feeling that somehow, he'd been the victim of an irony.

When Miwakp peered through them, she gulped. "Oh dear. I've quite embarrassed myself haven't I?" she said, blushing earnestly. Meanwhile, Ayako was tapping her foot, and she looked at him sneeringly.

"I never knew you were that into young girls," she said. "Mai is family I suppose, but strangers?"

"Mai's _seventeen_! Your friend here can't be that young!" Miwako looked shocked and he could feel himself bursting into a hasty babble. "No, no, I mean, I was just doing what any ordinary _courteous_ citizen would do! The teahouse was full and she didn't have a seat…"

"So," Ayako's face was mask-like. "I see. You're one of those _men_ who like their women hapless."

"I never –

"Come on Miwako. Now that you know the face of a middle-aged pervert, please avoid them in future…" she said as she steered the young lady gently towards Takashi. "Now, why don't you have a nice chat while I deal with _him_."

Takigawa shivered at the ominous look directed at him. The waitress was back with his food and she flashed him a playful grin as she placed her food in front of him. "Please enjoy your meal, _dana-san_," she said coyly. Houshou could feel twin pairs of female eyes searing into him.

"On second thought," he waved her back weakly, "could you pack it away for me?"

Back outside, the old lady was waiting for him. "What did I say?" she said triumphantly into his mournful face. "I'll even offer you free advice. Harajuku…"

"Ahh! No time! Thanks!" he yelled (he'd spotted Ayako rushing out after him), and tossed his breakfast at her before dashing off at breakneck speed. She snorted. "I haven't finished speaking yet. Ah well. I suppose _fish_ can't be too harmful," she added dubiously as she reshuffled her cards.


End file.
